Rationale & Foundations

Why have leadership class?

Even with the current concentration on standards and making annual yearly progress, more and more schools are offering leadership classes to their students. Leadership class:

Develops leadership skills now and for the future

Prepares students to take leadership roles in the school and community

Prepares students for the workforce

Promotes good citizenship.

Who takes leadership class?

Schools are varied in terms of who takes leadership class. In some places, leadership class is where the elected student body officers meet on a daily basis to work on school projects and the duties of office. In others, leadership class is offered to any student who wants to sign up for it, and can be offered as a business, social studies, or communications elective. In still others, classes can be a combination of elected students and those who apply and are selected.

What does leadership class consist of?

Leadership curriculum also varies from place to place. Some states have state-approved curriculum, while others leave it up to individual districts to create the curriculum for their classes. There is no universal set of standards or objectives for leadership class, but there are elements that are commonly included:

Student LeadershipThe Texas Association of Student Councils and Secondary School Principals have developed a student leadership course that is approved by the State Board of Education for state graduation elective credit.